Esther 7:4

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

For my people and I have been sold to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I would have remained silent, because no harm to the king would justify disturbing him in this way."

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כִּ֤י נִמְכַּ֙רְנוּ֙ אֲנִ֣י וְעַמִּ֔י לְהַשְׁמִ֖יד לַהֲר֣וֹג וּלְאַבֵּ֑ד וְ֠אִלּוּ לַעֲבָדִ֨ים וְלִשְׁפָח֤וֹת נִמְכַּ֙רְנוּ֙ הֶחֱרַ֔שְׁתִּי כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין הַצָּ֛ר שֹׁוֶ֖ה בְּנֵ֥זֶק הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

Transliteration

For nimkarnû I and my ʿammî to lᵊhašmîd to lahărôg and to lᵊʾabbēd; and wᵊʾillû to laʿăḇādîm and to lišpāḥôt nimkarnû I would have heḥĕraštî, for ʾên the ṣār šôweh in bᵊnēzeq the melek.

Grammar Details

• *nimkarnû*: niphal perfect 1st common plural - we have been sold
• *ʿammî*: noun, masculine singular construct + 1st common singular suffix - my people
• *lᵊhašmîd*: preposition + hiphil infinitive construct - to destroy/exterminate
• *lahărôg*: preposition + qal infinitive construct - to kill/slay
• *lᵊʾabbēd*: preposition + piel infinitive construct - to annihilate/destroy
• *wᵊʾillû*: conjunction + conditional particle - but if
• *laʿăḇādîm*: preposition + noun masculine plural - to slaves/servants
• *lišpāḥôt*: preposition + noun feminine plural - to female slaves/servants
• *heḥĕraštî*: hiphil perfect 1st common singular - I would have kept silent
• *ʾên*: particle of negation - there is not
• *ṣār*: noun, masculine singular with definite article - the adversary/enemy
• *šôweh*: qal participle masculine singular - equaling/compensating
• *bᵊnēzeq*: preposition + noun masculine singular construct - in damage to
• *melek*: noun, masculine singular with definite article - the king

Word Meanings

• *lᵊhašmîd*: to destroy/exterminate/annihilate
• *lahărôg*: to kill/slay/murder
• *lᵊʾabbēd*: to destroy/annihilate/cause to perish
• *wᵊʾillû*: but if/yet if/even if
• *ṣār*: enemy/adversary/oppressor
• *šôweh*: equal to/worth/compensating for
• *bᵊnēzeq*: in damage/loss/injury to

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be dtroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to perish. But if we had been sold as slaves, I would have remained silent, although the enemy could not compensate for the king's loss.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  for we are solde to be destroyed, to be slayne, and to perishe. And wolde God we were solde to be bondmen and bondwemen, then wolde I holde my tonge, so shulde not the enemye be so hye to the kynges harme.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For we are solde, I, & my people, to be destroyed, to be slayne and to perish: but if we were solde for seruants, and for handmaides, I woulde haue helde my tongue: although the aduersarie could not recompense the Kings losse.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  For we are solde I and my people to be destroyed, to be slaine, and to perishe: And would God that we were solde to be bondmen and bondwomen, then would I holde my tongue: although the enemie coulde not recompence the kinges losse.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondservants and bondmaids, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  for we have been sold, I and my people, to cut off, to slay, and to destroy; and if for men-servants and for maid-servants we had been sold I had kept silent -- but the adversity is not equal to the loss of the king.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  For we are given up, I and my people, to destruction and death and to be cut off. If we had been taken as men-servants and women-servants for a price, I would have said nothing, for our trouble is little in comparison with the king's loss.

• World English Bible (2000)

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondservants and bondmaids, I would have held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's loss."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  For we have been sold– both I and my people– to destruction and to slaughter and to annihilation! If we had simply been sold as male and female slaves, I would have remained silent, for such distress would not have been sufficient for troubling the king.”

Referenced Verses

• Esth 3:9 : 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be written to destroy them, and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the work, to be deposited in the king’s treasuries."
• Esth 3:13 : 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces, ordering the destruction, killing, and annihilation of all the Jews—young and old, children and women—in a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.
• Deut 28:68 : 68 The LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, in the way I said you would never see again. There, you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.
• Esth 8:11 : 11 The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, including women and children, and to plunder their possessions.
• Ps 44:22-23 : 22 would God not have discovered this? For He knows the secrets of the heart. 23 Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
• Joel 3:6 : 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, removing them far from their own territory.
• Amos 2:6 : 6 This is what the LORD says: 'For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.'
• Gen 37:26-28 : 26 Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed. 28 When the Midianite merchants passed by, they pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
• Josh 9:23 : 23 'Now therefore, you are under a curse and will always serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.'
• 1 Sam 22:23 : 23 Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The one who seeks my life is seeking yours as well. You will be safe with me.
• Neh 5:5 : 5 'Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Israelites, and our children are just like theirs, we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, and we are powerless to do anything about it, since our fields and vineyards now belong to others.'
• Esth 4:7-8 : 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the decree issued in Susa for their destruction, so that Hathach could show it to Esther and explain it to her, urging her to go to the king, plead for mercy, and intercede for her people.
• Esth 7:6 : 6 Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman." Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen.